Chapter Thirty Six

Jenny and Lauren were situated in her office with paperwork and toys when Cynthia came over the intercom and warned her that Gibbs was back from a crime scene. The red head had told Cynthia to inform her when he was back so Lauren wouldn't run around yelling "Daddy" without him knowing. She thanked her secretary and told Lauren to wait there for her. As she walked down the stairs she spotted Gibbs sitting down at his desk. He hadn't noticed her. When she got to the bull pen she didn't acknowledge any of the agents there except Gibbs. She was too excited; so excited that she couldn't keep the smile off of her face and they all noticed. Furrowing his brow, Gibbs got up and followed Jenny to the window where she laid a hand gently on his arm in excitement. "Lauren knows." She said giddily and Gibbs looked extremely confused for a moment before he broke out into a grin and raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Took it alright?" He asked and she nodded. "That mean she's gonna call me—"

"I don't know. Let's find out, huh?" She asked with a thousand watt grin spreading across her face. Jethro chuckled and nodded as he let Jenny hold onto his arm as she led him upstairs.

. . .

Tony stared at the window dumbly for about five minutes before he spoke. "Did I think what just happened—happen?" He asked dumbly and Tim rolled his eyes while Ziva sighed. He looked at them. "You two seem so cool about this. I am a hair away from winning the pool! This is a big deal!" He exclaimed and Ziva snorted.

"When Gibbs and Jenny find out about that pool you have going on they are not going to be happy." Ziva pointed out and Tony rolled his eyes.

"They are never going to find out." He assured with a smirk and Ziva just sighed and got back to her work.

. . .

Gibbs took a deep breath as Jenny led him into her office. Lauren was situated on the floor playing with some toys. When she noticed them she looked up and smiled. "Hi mommy, hi daddy." Time seemed to just stop along with his heart. He hadn't been called "daddy" in so many years. It felt good and despite his worries, he knew that Shannon and Kelly would have approved. He smiled as Jenny squeezed his arm. Lauren kept on playing with her toys as if nothing had happened, like neither Jenny nor Jethro's lives had just been flipped upside down. It was okay, as long Lauren was theirs, nothing could ruin their happiness right now.

Down in the bull pen Tony was pondering how exactly he was going to prove that something was going on with the Director and Gibbs when he spotted a paper on the floor. Curiously, he picked it up. Nobody had walked past since Jenny so he figured that with her folder of papers she had dropped one in her hurry. Scratching his head he turned it over with a yawn. He was wide awake when he read what was on it. Just the title had his mind reeling and Ziva and Tim seemed to notice his stunned expression because they looked at him curiously. "What is it?" Tim asked as Tony set down the paper like it was fine china.

He couldn't help but grin and she rubbed his arm softly as they both stared at their little girl. This was his second chance and he wasn't going to mess it up so, with his arm around Jenny's waist and his eyes on his daughter he decided that he'd be taking things slow. Jenny looked at him and she wondered briefly if this was all too much, were they moving too fast? Everything felt so sudden and rushed. Suddenly they were spending all of their time together and suddenly she had Jethro back, the one thing she thought for certain was gone forever. She feared that it was all too good to be true. Leaning forward she kissed his cheek and he turned his head to look at her. "Are you happy?" She asked softly and he smirked as he kissed her lips softly. When she opened her eyes he was looking at Lauren, content in the corner with her toys and books.

"I'm happy." He replied softly and she smiled along with him.

. . .

The end of the day came sooner than expected and before long Jenny and Lauren found themselves waiting for Gibbs in the bull pen, all packed up and ready to go. Lauren was holding Jenny's hand and fiddling with the zipper on her jacket as Gibbs packed up his things. Jenny leaned up against the window casually as she glanced around. It was the look in Tony's eyes that made her pause. He kept glancing from her to Lauren to Gibbs and back again with a shocked look in his eyes. She furrowed her brow. Something was up with him.

Tony knew he had to get that paper back to her and quickly. If she caught him sneaking around with it he would be out of a job faster than he could blink. Biting the inside of his cheek he made a snap decision and took the paper out of his desk. "Director Shepard can I speak with you for a moment?" He asked cautiously and she just stared at him for a moment before nodding, slowly detaching herself from Lauren. He led her behind the staircase and took a deep breath.

"Agent DiNozzo you're starting to worry me." She commented hesitantly and he just pulled the paper out from behind his back and handed it to her. As she looked at it and her eyes widened he spoke.

"You came down to the bull pen today and took Gibbs up to your office and it must have fallen out of your bag or something. I didn't tell anybody or anything." He supplied quickly and she glanced up at him with a furrowed brow before quickly stowing the paper safely into her purse.

"You are not to breathe a word of this to anybody. Agent Gibbs and I are going to tell everybody when the time is right." She said sternly.

"I mean it's not like you can hide that from people forever." He joked and she shot him a glare so he shut up. She took a deep breath and before turning to walk away she shot daggers at him once more.

"I swear to god, DiNozzo if you win one of your pools over this—" she threatened seething with anger and unwilling to finish her sentence. His eyes widened slightly and he zipped his lips shut before she turned around and briskly walked away. Her cool demeanor immediately melted as her daughter took her hand again and Gibbs smiled softly at her as the three of them made their way to the elevator. They looked like a family. And Tony felt happy for his boss—even if it meant losing a pool.

. . .

That night after Lauren had been put to bed and they all felt like a proper family Jenny and Jethro sat curled up on the couch together. They were content in just enjoying the other's company. "DiNozzo knows." She commented through her teeth rather abruptly and Gibbs furrowed his brow as he glanced down at her. "The paternity test results—it must have fallen out of my purse—" she shook her head as she trailed off and Gibbs kissed the top of her head.

"They're going to find out anyway, right?" He asked; his voice muffled in her fiery locks.

"I know but I'd rather have us tell them then them finding out through Tony." She grimaced and he chuckled; the vibrations making her shiver against him. Almost instinctively he pulled her closer and stroked her arm. "He didn't tell anybody." She commented after a while.

"Always been a smart kid." Gibbs pointed out and she looked up at him before pressing her lips to his. It was warm and comforting, nothing urgent about it.

Because she was done running, she was home.

. . .

EPILOGUE

It wasn't long before the secret began slipping out. First Abby, then Ducky, then Ziva—and so on. There wasn't a big party or announcement. But they wouldn't have it any other way. Lauren was theirs and they didn't really care who knew, whether it be through casual conversation or rough persuasion (Abby).

After getting her cast off and being horrified that her arm seemed white compared to the rest of her body Jenny insisted—or more like demanded—that they take a trip somewhere warm and sunny. Lauren suggested visiting Aunt Heather and Grandma in California and nobody objected. It was their first trip as a family and Jenny couldn't be happier. Well—maybe her big sister could. She'd always been prone to overreaction after all.

Jenny was extremely nervous to meet the famous Jackson Gibbs. It was the next summer that they made their way to Stillwater. Lauren was bouncing off the walls about it and Gibbs was offering her reassurances as she continued to be anxious about the trip. When she got there though and tried to explain the difficult situation he was surprisingly more than understanding. And Jenny had quickly fallen in love with him, just like the rest of NCIS had. And despite Jethro not always being too fond of him Lauren definitely was. They didn't think she ever wanted to leave.

They'd endured a lot as a family. Much more crazy and unbelievable things crammed into a few short summer months than Jenny or Jethro could ever imagine but they'd made it out unscathed and Jenny was constantly thankful for it. It didn't really seem possible that so much could have happened. The red head always marveled at the fact that in June her and Jethro were barely on speaking terms and by September they were raising a child together and in a relationship. If someone had told her ten years ago that everything she'd gone through would happen to her she would have laughed in the person's face. But coming out the other side ten years later, barely a scar, bad memories fading and good ones being made every day she couldn't express how blessed she felt.

It had been a few years since the paternity test and Jenny found herself in a white gown and a little girl's hand tugging at her arm. She'd looked down and found the smiling face of her lovely Lauren. "I think the music's gonna start soon, mommy." She'd whispered and Jenny had leaned down and kissed her head.

"Are you ready?" The older red head asked and her daughter grinned.

"I'm ready." She assured her mom and Jenny grinned back and took a deep breath to calm her out of control nerves and pounding heart.

"Then let's go get married."

That day had been a good year and a half gone and still she loved her husband and daughter to the ends of the Earth and back. She would do absolutely anything for them. With Lauren about to enter fifth grade and her parent's still in awe that after all they've been through they still came out the other side victorious—life threw another surprise at them. The beginning of what Jenny knew to be many more surprises to come. And though she was terrified she was also extremely excited. She'd never gotten to properly raise a child before—with Lauren living mainly with her aunt for the first few years of her life and all.

She walked up to her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He smiled and turned around. She pressed her mouth to his. When they pulled away he smirked at her. "I don't wanna catch whatever flu you've got, Jen." He warned as she embraced him. He kissed her head.

"I can assure that you won't, Jethro, seeing as women are the only ones who can get pregnant. Plus—you are the one who gave it to me in the first place."

a/n: Maybe not the ending you were looking for—or the conclusion to my ongoing, hectic, wild, jumbled, story I might add—but I hoped you liked it (I know I did lol). I was so surprised at the wonderful feedback I got from this story and I'm glad everybody liked it. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review this (including suffering through my horrible puns), it really does mean a lot.

As a final note, pardon what might seem like an abrupt ending but I think it actually worked out quite nicely. :) Happy Reading

P.S. I think it's safe to say that I'm back. Not promising regular updates but I'm back ;)